Monday, November 19, 2012

Thank you for your loyal patronage during the past seven years.Each of you has touched and blessed my life.While you may no longer be a customer, you will always be a friend.

I wish the very best to each of you. May you continue to be inspired and enchanted by the many wonders of the world. May stitching and creating heirlooms always bring you, and those who receive it, great joy.May you always be blessed with just enough, but not so much, that you become complacent and blind to the needs of others.May you appreciate quiet times, but never know loneliness.May there always be the hand of a loved one and the smile of a friend ...just as so many of you have been there for me.May the grace of God be with you always.

Now, I may have more time to visit here at my blog, or to sew what I want, when I want . . .

Sunday, October 7, 2012

First, thank you so much for all the kind comments, encouragement and support

regarding the closing of my business.

The main reason for my absence here has been the flurry of activity on my website.

Seems I spend the majority of my time filling, packing and shipping orders.

My husband and I also took a few days off to attend his 40th high school reunion and visit family and friends in Tennessee. It was a delightful time!

Now, the temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing, and my life is heading in new directions.

There are still some orders to fill and merchandise to sell, but the website will soon be closing permanently.

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Many of my sewing friends are busy packing their bags for Atlanta. The 2012 Convention of the Smocking Arts Guild of America begins on Tuesday. How I wish I could be in attendance with them.

I am certainly there in spirit, and anxious to hear their reports afterwards.

A small part of me is also there in this chatelaine.

I made and contributed it to the Delphi Heirloom Sewing and Smocking raffle basket.

The chatelaine, combined with a silk embroidered hussif, reticule, scissor case and handmade scissor fob, will be won by a lucky attendee!

Some of you may have already seen the photographs shared on Facebook or at HS&S.

The chatelaine is made of blue silk satin ribbon, woven through mother of pearl rings. A pair of small embroidery scissors is looped on one end. A ribbon pouch, embellished with seed pearls, can hold a thimble. The silk strawberry, filled with emery, is for polishing needles.

A small mother of pearl heart-shaped button holds the ribbons together at center back.

The chatelaine can be draped around one's neck.

I use mine mostly to just keep track of those small scissors on my often cluttered sewing surface!

It also comes in handy while sitting and stitching on a comfy couch or chair. It is more difficult for everything to disappear among cushions and pillows, when they are all linked together!

The photograph prompted many inquiries and requests for additional chatelaine instructions and information. I thought I would share a few similar chatelaines and sewing accessories I have made over the years.

The chatelaine above was made and donated to the Wee Care raffle basket during the 2004 SAGA Convention.

This particular chatelaine included hand embroidery on the ivory silk satin ribbons. A small pincushion and more elaborate ribbon thimble pouch were also included.

Another SAGA member generously donated various decorative sewing tools. They, and the strawberry and pincushion, were attached to the chatelaine after this photograph was taken.

This is a chatelaine I made for myself several years ago.

While perusing photographs, in search of chatelaines, I stumbled upon this silk ribbon embroidered mouse pincushion! She was made and contributed to the Wee Care raffle basket for the 2005 SAGA Convention.

I also rediscovered this pincushion and emery strawberry. They were made to coordinate with a pair of Gingher designer embroidery scissors, and given as a gift.

It is so much fun to make these sewing accessories, whether you keep them for yourself or share the joy with others.

None of these ideas, for the chatelaine, pincushions, strawberries or thimble pouches, are necessarily original. I have taken ideas from a variety of sources, and fitted them for specific persons or events.

Due to the many requests, I will try to soon share basic instructions or resources for making some of your own.

In the meantime, happy stitching -- whether in the solitude of your own home or sewing room, or while gathered with fellow sewing sisters!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It was either spend time retaking photographs, or actually get this posted.

I decided on the latter.

I started this skirt last summer. It was never completed for several reasons.

Nothing like an event this weekend to prompt me to pull it out, and give it another go.

The instructions I used are from Anna Maria Horner's blog, and can be found here.

The fabric is a voile from a quilting company. To me, it seems more like a lawn. It is the perfect weight for a summer skirt, and I really enjoyed working with the fabric.

I lined it with a very sheer Swiss batiste.

A few summers ago, I purchased a skirt with a similar shirred waist and loved it.

It is easy to pull down on the hips a little, giving a smoother line and less fluff where many of us do not need more. Yet, the elastic waist is so comfortable and easy to wear.

For now, it looks great with a white or cream t-shirt or tank and sandals.

I plan to pull in some of the darker colors with tops and cardigans this fall, and extend the wear a little. It should still work nicely when I have to put away the white jeans and capris and linen slacks, but am not ready for winter wool skirts and slacks.

I have noticed many ready-to-wear summer skirts with hemline tucks. This is one of my favorite techniques for hemming little girls' dresses. It is quick, adds a finishing touch, and is very sturdy. While I may not worry about pulling hems out on the playground, I have been known to rip out hems with my big feet when trying to get dressed too quickly!

For the lining, I simply turned a narrow hem twice, and machine stitched.

Here is a photograph of the shirred waist on the inside of the skirt.

It gives a better idea of the four rows of narrow elastic casings which form the waistband.

Many mothers complain their young daughters do not like skirts that sit on the waist.

This might be the perfect solution!

The elastic could be adjusted in the casings to better fit the body, as it changes

from waistline to hip area, Although, most little girls do not have as much variance as us big girls!

I did tweak the pattern a little, cutting my skirt rectangles more narrow to remove fullness.

I believe in trying to make the inside of my garments as finished as the outside, and often use

French seams in my construction. Even with lightweight fabric, French seams might be too bulky in the waistline/casing area. Instead, I turned the edge of each seam allowance to the wrong side, stitching close to the edge.

After giving the finished skirt a good pressing, I laid it on the ironing board and smashed the shirring and gathers flat, just slightly, and only for a few inches beyond the bottom casing. I think it will help the gathers lie more smoothly, looking more like a flirty skirt and

less like a poofy dirndle skirt!

I am so glad this project is no longer in the UFO pile! While I have not jumped on the maxi dress wagon, I do think this style would be darling in a maxi length. I may consider that route for another piece of voile in my stash. If so, I may remove even a little more fullness.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a little something I whipped up in my sewing room today!

For the past few years, I have made and donated a doll garment to an auction raising funds for a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

Here is this year's contribution.

This was not my original plan.

Funny how often that happens, isn't it?

I decided to try and be a little more trendy than usual, and began making something completely different.

Then, frustration set in.

The pattern directions were lacking. I could tell the garment might not fit. While it was meant to slip over the doll's head, little impatient fingers might have a difficult time. My larger, and supposedly more patient, adult fingers were already having problems with it.

So, I turned to a beloved tried and true pattern -- a doll sized version of Children's Corner Mary De.

I also turned to one of my favorite fabrics, pinwale pique, for the bodice.

Adding lace and Swiss embroideries only made it better!

I was a happy camper, and the sewing machine was humming again!

The skirt is Garden Pindot in Azure by Michael Miller.

Embroidery floss is woven through the entredeux borders of the Swiss embroidery insert. It is further embellished with Spanish lace edging on either side.

Spanish lace is a little heavier than the French laces often used in heirloom sewing. I felt these were a better choice for a slightly more casual dress, and sturdier for a little girl's play time.

I decided it needed a little fun punch of color, and added lime green microcheck gingham piping at the waistline.

There are also three folded tucks at the hemline, to add one more finishing touch!

One of the sweet features of Mary De, is the wrap back closing.

The dress opens completely down the back, hopefully making it easy for little fingers to dress dolly.

Two fun flower shaped buttons close the back.

Her stylish bonnet began as a plain, and rather rough looking, straw hat purchased at a local hobby store. I dug through my box of trims, finding a lime green ruffled trim that echoed the color of the dress's waistline piping. I also discovered a floral ribbon garland, with tiny pearls decorating each flower's center.

Of course, we know everything is better with a bow, too!

This adorable miniature tea is the final part of my donation.

I used to sell these in my store, and still have a few left.

It makes me happy to know some little (or big!) girl will enjoy sharing tea with her dolly.

I made two little cloth napkins, using one of the decorative stitches on my machine to finish the edges.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am a wife and mother. I am the granddaughter of Bessie and daughter of Mary: two women who passed down to me their love of needlework. Now, I see their hands and continue to feel their unwavering love and guidance with each stitch that my hands make. I love hydrangeas, peonies, poppies and periwinkle blue. There is a soft place in my heart for things showing age. Perhaps because I pray to still be cherished when I grow old.